I usually work with people when they are wanting their dog to learn how to do something, either a specific skill or a different behavioural response. To teach our dogs what to do, we commonly use food or treats. Once our dogs understand the skill, and can perform it in a variety of environments around different distractions, we can start to reduce the use of treats. Here are some things to consider.
Can your dog perform the desired skill consistently, to the level you want? If not, your dog hasn't fully learned the new skill, and their performance is unlikely to improve if you stop rewarding their efforts. First, we need to get the behaviour reliably. Can your dog perform the desired skill consistently, in the face of distractions? Ideally we teach the skill in a low distraction setting, and then once the dog can respond consistently, introduce distractions strategically so that the dog can succeed in the face of the distraction, growing their confidence and ability to respond even when other things are going on. Some distractions to consider:
When considering getting a puppy, people often think about housetraining, chewing, and puppy biting. But what is much less commonly talked about is the adolescent stage of development, when your teenage dog stops coming when called, starts running off or barking at things they never cared about before. You may have seen these memes, they exist in a variety of dog breeds. And they exist, because there is a relatable truth inherent in them, even if somewhat exaggerated.
Adolescent dogs often
Why? Because adolescence is the time that they are experiencing sexual maturity, but haven't yet reached social maturity. Their brains aren't fully mature yet, and are undergoing a tremendous amount of neuronal growth and pruning as they experiment with new behaviours and investigate their world. |
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